"…in."
Through the cold darkness, a voice called for him. It spoke his name pleadingly, with urgency and desperation.
"…Origin."
When he materialized, he was exactly where he had always been, deep in the calm forest of the elves. Surrounding him were a variety of people, all different shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds. Eyes up. Staring at him.
His eyes flickered over the faces. He…recognized some of those faces. Not just from his memory, but from the memory of someone inside of him. One of the souls.
"You who lack the right."
His voice came out different; different than last time, at least. It was deeper, richer, and it had a delicate accent. This was what happened, he knew. A new soul would join the make up the great spirit, and Origin would take on some of the features of that new soul.
The blue-haired man looked up in surprise, his mouth open slightly. Origin recognized him from his own memory (a younger man, holding his lady's hand and kissing her cheek), and from the memory of this new soul within him (there was a name, although it wasn't quite right…Sir?).
The boy in red squinted in confusion and frustration, as if he were trying to recall something important. There were many of them, all staring at Origin in awe. They wanted to use his power, of that he was certain, though he couldn't imagine for what purpose. Had there not been enough damage done in his name?
He looked down to face the two closest to him, the boy in red and a Summoner.
"I have lost faith in all things. Have you come here to disappoint me as well?"
"Origin." The young man in red stepped forward, speaking to him without fear. "Are you bound by a pact with Mithos?"
Mithos. He felt anger seize his heart. "My pact with Mithos was broken the moment I was freed. Never again shall anyone make use of my power."
"Even if we make a vow? We need the Eternal Sword!" The woman spoke to him next, although her voice was shaking slightly. Her fear showed through.
"I want to use the Eternal Sword to reunite the two worlds and revive the Giant Kharlan Tree!" the boy pleaded. "Unless we do something, the worlds will never stop vying for mana and everyone will suffer!"
So they wanted to undo Mithos' mistake. Well…perhaps it was too late. "That situation was born from the weakness of creatures who are unable to accept those that are different."
"That may be true," the boy argued back, "but mistakes can be corrected."
Could they? Origin felt an echo, the echo of a thousand voices, a thousand souls, who railed against it. "Some things cannot be corrected."
"Even so," a third voice rang out, a young girl with both joyful and sorrowful eyes, "we have to do everything we can!"
"Exactly," the boy continued, before Origin could reply. "I'm not gonna give up. From the moment they are born, everyone has the right to live. I want to reclaim that. Humans, elves, half-elves, dwarves, and even Summon Spirits… Everyone has a right to life!"
He did not believe it. That dream had been dreamt so long ago, by the Yggdrasills and countless others. It was just that: a dream.
"Origin."
The voice that had called him from his sleep. Kratos. He limped up from behind the boy, putting his hand on the red-clad shoulder as he looked upwards. "For almost an eternity, I thought that the only way to save this world was to cling to Mithos' ideals. Just as you once agreed with Mithos' ideals, I, too, thought his was the only way."
So long ago, Origin had been swayed by the fire in this human's eyes. The determination, the drive. Now the fire was gone.
"But Lloyd is different. He taught me that in order to change something, you must do it yourself. It is not enough to merely rely on someone else and go along with their ideals."
No…the fire had moved. To the boy. To Lloyd.
The name rolled in his memories. The fierceness of his dark brown eyes. The inimitable fight that dwelled within him.
I underestimated your abilities.
"…You who possess the right of summoning," he said. "Make your vow."
Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Origin! Then…"
"I will try once more to believe in people. I shall do my duty in order to create a world you speak of—a world in which everyone can live equally."
The Summoner stepped forward. "I, Sheena, have but one vow. To reclaim a world in which everyone can live freely… A world in which no life is sacrificed meaninglessly! That's all."
Sacrifices… "Then we shall create a pact upon that vow. Now, fight!"
The group put up one hell of a fight.
Lloyd was bold and fierce, taking every opportunity to strike. The Summoner flitted in and out of his line of sight, hitting him and then dashing away before he could counter. Off to the side, a half-elven woman with sharp, keen eyes gave support. When she wasn't healing, her light attacks dealt astounding damage. And a tiny boy, carrying a toy, was bringing on earth-shattering elemental magic that rivaled Mithos' power.
Origin used magic that he did not know. Earth magic, in addition to his own elemental favorites. The incantations are familiar, despite the fact that Origin knows he has never used them. Something stirs within him; a memory of fighting this group before. The images flash before his eyes: a brightly lit, sprawling building filled with magitechnology. Blades slashing through the air, mana swirling around him as spells are cast. Beside him, fighting like wildfire and calling down the power of the gods, was the blue haired man.
Ready for a real fight?
He enjoyed it.
Not him, Origin, but one of the souls that he is made of. It's fun, to fight against these brilliant and idealistic youngsters once again, to see their fire and passion firsthand. It made him…not happy…hopeful.
The fight ended with a single strike from Lloyd's blade. "Extraordinary," he breathed, almost to himself. "I will believe in all of you."
The group faced him. They were battered and bruised, but victorious and fierce. Origin stared at them for just a moment. Finally, he nodded in acknowledgement. "What is your vow?"
"I want everyone to live freely," Lloyd said. "I want to create a world where no one is sacrificed."
Origin stared down at him. Before he could stop himself, the question was at his lips. The soul inside him had finally broken through to speak to Lloyd directly. "…Even if they chose that fate themselves?"
More images, of desperation and shouts, of failed rescue attempts, of final words and water.
"No more sacrifices," Lloyd said firmly.
A smile appeared on Origin's lips, a smile that was not his own. No sacrifices, he thought. How wonderful.
He had a feeling he would like this new world.
This story is born from the fact that Origin and Botta both have the same voice actor. I just really love Botta. He didn't deserve to die. :'(